Peculiarities of Using Connotative Meanings in Professional

Sublanguage

Maria V. Suntsova

Kaluga State University Named After K.E. Tsiolkovski, Kaluga, Russia

Keywords: Connotation, National Language, Sublanguage, Connotative Meaning, Evaluative Vocabulary.

Abstract: The modern period in the development of oral speech is characterized by the spread of so called lower level

subsystems of language. Such subsystems include slang vocabulary and phraseology which, spreading beyond

the boundaries of the social and professional groups that created them, become an integral part of the

vocabulary for all native speakers. The professional sublanguage connected with a particular professional

usage represents socially restricted variety of national language that undoubtedly enriches it.

1 INTRODUCTION

The society is in constant change, in these conditions

there are changes not only in the language style of the

era but also in the meaning of the professional,

terminological terms. In this regard, there are

problems of interpretation of special terms. The

processes connected with the changes in the sphere of

terminological vocabulary and semantics, including

those ones in the sphere of legislation, are subject to

mandatory regulation and interpretation. However,

these changes are so fleeting and diverse that

researchers often do not have time to analyse them,

whereas legislators do not manage to reflect them in

Russian legislation (Solnyshkina, 1991).

2 MATERIALS AND METODS

For the study, a complex method of the use of evaluative

vocabulary in Russian legislation has been carried out.

1.1 Problem Statement

In accordance with the above mentioned, this study

considers one of the particular problems, namely the use of

evaluative vocabulary in Russian legislation concerning

establishing the grounds for legal liability.

1.2 Research Questions

How is evaluative vocabulary understood in Russian

legislation?

Why does the uncertain nature of the evaluation

categories give the law enforcement officer freedom in

determining the content of the evaluative notion?

1.3 Purpose of the Study

To characterize the semantics of an expressive word; to

determine the purpose and nature of the interaction between

the denotative and connotative components of the lexical

meaning, to establish the typology of well-defined

components that constitute the connotative meaning.

3 RESUITS AND DISCUSSION

There is not a clear line between professionalisms and

professional jargon. This line is usually vague and

conditional. Often the presence or absence of specific

imagery and expressiveness is the only criterion for

distinguishing them.

The relevance of our study is due, in particular, to

the fact that evaluative vocabulary is widely

represented in the Criminal Code of the Russian

Federation, firstly, in the sphere of establishing the

basis for criminal liability (that is, it is used for

describing crimes); secondly, in the sphere of

differentiation of criminal liability and punishment.

First of all, we consider it reasonable to define the

essence of the notion «evaluative vocabulary» and to

find out which definition it is given in the available

scientific resources. In special editions - explanatory

and terminological dictionaries - there is no definition

of the adjective «evaluative» derived from the noun

170

Suntsova, M.

Peculiarities of Using Connotative Meanings in Professional Sublanguage.

DOI: 10.5220/0011609000003577

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Actual Issues of Linguistics, Linguodidactics and Intercultural Communication (TLLIC 2022), pages 170-172

ISBN: 978-989-758-655-2

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

«evaluation», so let's turn to the definition of its

derivative. Thus, in the «Explanatory Dictionary of

the Russian Language» by S. I. Ozhegov and N. Y.

Shvedova, the notion of «evaluation» is defined as

«an opinion about the value, level or significance of

someone or something (to give an evaluation of

something)» and as « the same as the mark

(evaluation on a five-point system)» (Ozhegov, 1993)

The author of another explanatory dictionary, D. N.

Ushakov, gives the following definition of this

notion: «Evaluation ... is an opinion, a judgment

expressed about the qualities of someone or

something» (Ushakov, 2000) According to the cited

definitions, evaluation is an opinion, a judgment

about someone or something. This definition, in our

opinion, conveys the meaning of the notion under

consideration.

In the «Dictionary of Linguistic Terms» by O. S.

Akhmanova, «evaluation is the speaker's judgment,

his attitude - approval or disapproval, desire,

encouragement, etc. - as one of the basic parts of the

stylistic connotation» This linguist draws our

attention to the fact that the notion of «evaluation» is

a part of the connotative component of the lexical

meaning of the word. The same point of view is

shared by T. V. Matveeva, who connects the

connotation with the expressive function of both the

language as a whole and the word in particular: «The

connotative component represents the subjective-

evaluative content of the word, which constitutes the

specificity of expressive lexical units» (Matveeva,

1986). In the opinion of T.V. Matveeva, connotation

in other terms can be understood as emotional-

expressive colouring, emotional-evaluative meaning,

additional meaning, stylistic colouring, etc., which

consists of several semes; the purpose of studying the

semantics of the expressive word consists in defining

a number of the semes and their role in the lexical

meaning.

According to the considered definitions of the

notion "evaluation", it can be stated that in the

linguistic literature it is defined as «attitude»,

«opinion» of the addressee aimed at someone or

something in order to give his judgment about the

quality, meaning and value of someone or something.

When giving an evaluation of something, the

addressee colours his attitude emotionally, thereby

introducing an emotive (that is, coloured) component

into speech.

We will consider further which features are

included by the researches into the notion

«evaluation» in legal linguistics. Thus, M.B.

Kostrova in her work «Evaluative vocabulary in the

criminal law ...» considers the problem of defining

evaluative vocabulary at the intersection of criminal

law and linguistics. She supposes that the vagueness

of evaluative definitions results in «the frequent

requalification of the actions of the accused in

practice». For example, «the excessiveness of

evaluative vocabulary in the legislative formulation

of hooliganism in practice results in the frequent

requalification of the actions of the accused under

Art. 213 rather than Art 115, 116, 167 of the Criminal

Code of the Russian Federation or vice versa»

(National corpus of the Russian language, 2021)

In the opinion of the author, it has to do with the

concurrent use of three evaluative features in the

definition of «hooliganism» in Art. 213 of the

Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: «gross

violation of public order», «clear disrespect for

society», «use of violence» which allows the law

enforcer to take a dominant position «over the

principle of legality, which is enshrined in Art. 5 of

the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: «the

criminality of an act ... is determined only by this

code». That situation cannot be regarded as normal

and requires some adjustments with due regard for the

criminal law, criminal procedure and criminalistics

aspects of the identified problematic situation

(Kostrova, 2001).

In legal practice, there is no such thing as

«emotionality», which can be explained by the very

nature of the legal text, so the connotation in the

evaluative notions of legal linguistics should be based

on law. All this allows us to define the notion

«evaluation» in legal linguistics differently than in

linguistics. We consider it appropriate to focus our

attention on the constant change in the vocabulary of

the language, the change in conceptual meaning of

terms, which is the cause of a situation when there is

no unity in determining the essence of evaluative

vocabulary in modern Russian legislation.

The carried out study made it possible to figure

out the following characteristic features of evaluative

notions in the sphere of legislation:

1) the content of the evaluation categories is

presented considering the orientation of the

legislative act;

2) the content of evaluation categories is

determined by the law enforcer, considering

specific circumstances on the basis of legal

consciousness;

3) the uncertain nature of the evaluation

categories gives the law enforcer freedom in

determining the content of the evaluative

notion.

Peculiarities of Using Connotative Meanings in Professional Sublanguage

171

4 CONCLUSIONS

Thus, jurislinguisticts frequently uses the term

concept «evaluative notions» instead of «evaluative

vocabulary»; this term concept refers to the

expressions with the fixed common features of legal

provisions stipulated in the legislative acts, the

expressions of the uncertain nature when being

applied in justice by the law enforcer (Kashanina,

1974)

REFERENCES

Akhmanova, О. S., 2021. Dictionary of Linguistic Terms.

http://www.classes.ru/grammar.

National corpus of the Russian language, 2021.

http://www.ruscorpora.ru/new/index.html

Kashanina, T.V., 1974 Estimated concepts in Soviet law:

author. dis. … cand. legal Sciences / T. V. Kashanina.

Sverdlovsk.p. 21

Kostrova, М. B., 2001. Evaluative vocabulary in the

criminal law. Criminal law. 2.

Matveeva, T. V., 1986. Lexical expressiveres in Langue.

p.92.

Ozhegov, S. I., Shvedova, N. Yu., 1993. Explanatory

dictionary of the Russian language: 80,000 words and

phraseological Expressions. 4nd ed. Higher School.

Solnyshkina, M. I., 1991. Thesaurus of the professional

sublanguage and its completion. Problems of Applied

Linguistics: Sat. scientific tr., Part 2.

Ushakov, D. N., 2000. Explanatory dictionary of the

Russian language. 4. 2.

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INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION"

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